Song · Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Midnight Special” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Released 1976
“Midnight Special” by Creedence Clearwater Revival appears on 14 radio countdowns from 9 stations between 2001 and 2025. It was first released in 1976. Its best result is #237 on the WMGK Philly 500 (2022). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #8,312 indie & aaa song of all time.
On Willy and the Poor Boys, released by Fantasy in November 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival dug into the old folk songbook and came up with "The Midnight Special", a traditional number thought to have started with inmates in the American South. It's built around a passenger train, the Midnight Special, and the light it carries, and it has long been sung in the country-blues manner from the prisoner's point of view. Carl Sandburg had already printed two versions of it in The American Songbag back in the 1920s.
John Fogerty arranged it, produced it and sings lead, with Tom Fogerty alongside him on guitar, Stu Cook on bass and Doug Clifford on drums, and those three backing him up on vocals. Russ Gary recorded and mixed a track that rolls like the train it's named for.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1939 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2002 | 435 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2004 | 439 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) | 923 |
| 2010 | 843 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
| 2011 | 768 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) | 1100 |
| 2012 | 793 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2014 | 492 | Big 100 | BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 352 | 102.9 The Whale | 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) | 500 |
| 2020 | 825 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) | 1025 |
| 2022 | 237 | WMGK | WMGK Philly 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 900 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) | 1025 |
| 2023 | 390 | Qfm96 | Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) | 500 |
| 2024 | 388 | Qfm96 | Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) | 498 |
| 2025 | 391 | Qfm96 | Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) | 498 |
Also listed as: The Midnight Special.
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